The BIONICLE Universe Comes to Papercutz
May 22, 2008

BIONICLE is coming to comic-book shops in May 2008 (and bookstores in June) as a quarterly series of graphic novels from Papercutz! To mark this release, BIONICLE.com will feature weekly excerpts from the first graphic novels right here. Click the image at left or this link to see the first installment (Adobe Acrobat required).

Win prizes from Papercutz! Two contests offer prizes to video makers and kids. The maker of the best video on the new BIONICLE graphic novels will choose $250 worth of graphic novels from Papercutz. And the best drawing of any BIONICLE character (ages 11 and under) will win a year-long subscription to the BIONICLE comics. Hurry, contests end May 31, 2008. See the Papercutz web site for more details.

In Papercutz’s BIONICLE #1, the Toa arrive on the tropical island guarded by the Great Spirit Mata Nui, only to find the island under siege. The powerful and evil Makuta has cast Mata Nui into an unending sleep and is attacking the island’s villagers, the Matoran. The armed and armored Toa, who wear Masks of Power and can control the elements, leap into the fight against Makuta. But Makuta has unleashed mechanical insects called Bohrok to destroy everything in their path. During the fight, the Toa transform into the Toa Nuva, with new armor, weapons, and Masks of Power. But will all of that be enough to defeat Makuta?

Greg Farshtey, author of many BIONICLE books published by Scholastic, has written the comics from the beginning. The artists of BIONICLE #1 are Carlos D’Anda (known for DC Comics’ Outsiders), Aliens vs. Predator storyboard artist Richard Bennett (Marvel’s X-Men), and Randy Elliott (Marvel’s Spider-Woman). The series reprints stories created for the LEGO Club, and have not appeared in print for several years.